Who's this England star desperate to show he's on the road to fitness for the Ashes... on an anti-gravity treadmill?

Kevin Pietersen has been working his way back into the England squad in unorthodox fashion on an anti-gravity treadmill ahead of the Ashes this summer.

The star's knee injury kept him out of the both New Zealand series', but the 32-year-old is eager to show he is on the right road back to full fitness.

Pietersen was also ruled out of England’s Champions Trophy campaign, but he was at Lord's last week and Birmingham earlier this week for training sessions.

Tread carefully: Pietersen is desperate to show he is on the road to full fitness after a knee injury

The Surrey batsman could return for his county against Sussex next week, which will be a good test for him to prove his fitness ahead of the battle for the urn, which gets underway on July 10.

The under-performing Nick Compton could make way for Pietersen if his bid for fitness is successful for the Ashes series, and Andrew Strauss believes England need him, but only if the vibe is right.

Strauss said: ‘Pietersen is a world-class player, one of those the Australians genuinely fear. But he must have recovered fully from his injury — and everything has to be OK in the team environment.

Drawing a crowd: Pietersen received a large amount of attention when he was given a net session

Back in action: Kevin Pietersen tweeted this picture of him batting last week

'Given what’s gone on, it’s an important factor to think about because my experience over 15 years of cricket is that if things are not right in the dressing room, it affects how people play.

‘We’ve seen over the winter at times how Australia haven’t had things right in their dressing room, and I think it’s very naive to turn a blind eye to that and say, “It’ll be fine”. Because it never is.’

Out? Compton could be sacrificed for Pietersen if he does return in time for the Ashes

Important: Strauss believes Pietersen is vital for England against Australia, but only if the mood is right